Do we really need the Donald?

We have Steve Wynn in Vegas, plus Kerkorian and other successful developers/visionaries.

Do we really need Donald Trump on the Strip???

From http://www.lasvegassun.com/

Trump in new LV condo deal

Announcement comes as losses at Trump casino company widen

Real estate mogul Donald Trump and casino owner Phil Ruffin, who two years ago announced plans for a Las Vegas Strip-area condo tower, said Thursday that those plans had been scrapped and are being replaced by a larger project.

[...]

Trump said there will not be a casino component to his project.

"It will be a super luxury residential hotel condominium," Trump said in a phone interview from his New York office.

Final approval will be considered by the Clark County Commission on Oct. 6.

The announcement was made the same day Trump's casino company reported a wider loss amid tougher competition in Atlantic City.

[...]

Full article on http://www.lasvegassun.com/, by Jennifer Shubinski

$ 100,000 for the new Palms Girl

Since June, 27th, the Palms (4321 W. Flamingo Rd) is selecting its Palms Girl. To enter the Ford Models and Palms Casino competition, it is enough to:
- be a female US resident;
- be aged between 21 and 35;
- be an astonishing beauty.

These are two of the models selected for the final competition:

Stephanie Whitman



Ruth Quinn


Final round will be held on August, 22nd. Have fun and good luck to all the gorgeus models!

Hard Rock ads: what's your opinion?

Hard Rock launched the advertising campaign you see above. And now is facing the local gaming commission. What do you think about this" Drop us a line, by email, with your opinion!

--------------------------------------------------------

NEVADA GAMING COMMISSION: Hard Rock ad issues unresolved
Casino battling state attorney general over campaign seen as pornographic
[...]
Despite two months of talks between the Hard Rock Hotel and the state attorney general's office, the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday said larger policy issues affecting the industry and the community had to be addressed before the casino's allegedly pornographic advertising case can be resolved.
[...]
For example, one ad showed a man with scantily clad woman lying atop a gaming table with chips nearby and a card in her mouth. Above the two there is text that reads "There's always a temptation to cheat."

Commissioners expressed doubts that any reasonable person could realistically interpret the Hard Rock ads as promoting illegal activity as alleged.

Hard Rock Hotel President Kevin Kelley said for now all the billboards that caused the initial fuss have either been taken down or the wording in the advertising has been modified.

[...]

Full article, by Rod Smith, on: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-30-Fri-2004/business/24417883.html

Handicapper Conference in Vegas

You'll soon get pics and a report from BoDog Handicapper Conference in Vegas (29-30 July). For now, enjoy Penny Phang's (BoDog Communications Director) pictures

Calling all LV bloggers, WE WANT U!

Hello bloggers!

If you have your own, cool stylish LV blog OR you wrote some posts about Vegas in your blog OR you like us to publish your own story of citizen/tourist in Vegas, just drop us a line!

For LV blogs looking for link exchanges, please check our WEBRING.

Yeah!

fw

Elton John in Vegas

Elton is his currently performing at the Colosseum of (guess what...) Caesars Palace. "The Red Piano", directed and designed by David Lachapelle, is running on:

July 30 (yeah, today!) 7:30 pm
July 31 7:30 pm
August 1 7:30 pm
August 3 7:30 pm
August 4 7:30 pm
August 6 7:30 pm
August 7 7:30 pm
August 8 7:30 pm
October 12 7:30 pm
October 13 7:30 pm

Elton's evergreens have been performed in this sequence:


- Bennie and the Jets
- Philadelphia Freedom
- Believe
- Daniel
- Rocket Man
- I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
- Tiny Dancer
- Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
- I Want Love
- Candle in the Wind
- Pinball Wizard
- The B*tch Is Back (Sorry, Epinions won't let me type out the word)
- I'm Still Standing
- Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
- Your Song (encore)

You got the all the facts, in a nutshell. For some personal reviews of the shows:

A) Ever the showman, Elton embraces Las Vegas style
By Edna Gundersen - USA TODAY - Posted 2/15/2004
"The show takes full advantage of John's strengths as a natural showman, skilled pianist and strong singer (though he no longer chases the high notes in tunes such as Tiny Dancer). Music dominates as he and his band barrel through 15 songs in 100 minutes, yet John nearly vanishes in the foreground while a visual smorgasbord unfolds on a monster LED screen.

LaChappelle, Red Piano's director and designer, bombards the senses with brilliant video montages and riveting short films. Instead of distracting attention from John's melodic rock and timeless pop balladry, the eye candy sharpens the focus on music by plugging into its themes and emotions."


B) http://www.epinions.com/content_3843530884
"The Colosseum was impressive. I had been told that no seat is more than 120 feet from the stage, and even though I was at the cheapest top tier, I was able to see Elton's facial expressions and how great his wig looked. :) The red-and-tan decor was pleasing, and the back of the stage held a huge television screen that showed various images - very colorful though not as spectacular as during Celine Dion's A New Day - as Elton played through his playlist. Although I had been to the venue before thanks to A New Day, I still found it to be a very pleasant setting, to enjoy both the reigning diva of today (Celine Dion) AND the definitive artist of the baby boomer generation (Elton John).

The namesake red piano for the show was slightly off-center to the left of the stage, placed on top of a star-shaped pedestal. To the right and back were positions for various backup musicians.

Elton John memorabilia were for sale at the entrance to the Colosseum past the security checkpoint, as well as a few hundred feet away in the casino. I made sure to buy a few refrigerator buttons, but skipped the useless program book this time.

And although this is not exactly a jacket-and-tie affair and I saw quite a few people in jeans, dressing up is still advisable for this event, just like most other Las Vegas shows."

C) Sunday, February 15, 2004 - Variety - PHIL GALLO
Simultaneously bigger than life and intimate, John's opening-night performance was inspired and graceful. Part of that's due to the fact that the Colosseum is a jewel box compared to the arenas he has been playing with Billy Joel (news) the last few years as he coasted his way through hits. A month shy of his 57th birthday, John is in a comfortable place in Vegas: The images on the screen serve to remind us of his wackier days and the legendary Dodger Stadium concert, saving him the effort he usually puts into clowning around. It allows him to focus on being a serious performer.

Vegas in a nutshell

While looking for news about Vegas, I found this nice Vegas-in-a-nutshell article:


Getting there: It's a five-hour flight from South Florida to Las Vegas. Round-trip rates currently start at $390. Spirit, America West, United, Delta, American, Continental, U.S. Air and ATA are among the carriers offering service.

Cost for a two-night trip for two: $1,130 and up.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

• Where to go: Clark County Marriage Bureau, 200 S. Third St., 702-455-3156; www.co.clark.nv.us/clerk/clerkhome.htm.

• Hours: Marriage Bureau is open seven days a week. Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-midnight. On Friday, the office opens at 8 a.m. and doesn't close until midnight Sunday. Also open 24 hours on major holidays.

• Requirements: Licenses are issued to a male and a female 18 years or older, no closer than second cousins. If U.S. citizen, must know Social Security number. Ceremony must be performed in Nevada within one year. .

• Cost: $55 in cash.

WEDDING CONTACTS

• Andrea's Wedding Consultants, 800-292-1177.

• Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-693-7111; www.bellagio.com.

• Graceland Wedding Chapel, 619 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-382-0091; www.gracelandchapel.com.

• Las Vegas Hilton/Star Trek: The Experience: 3000 Paradise Road. Hotel is at 702-732-5111; www.lvhilton.com. The attraction is at 702-697-8700; www.star trekexp.com.

• Little White Wedding Chapel. 1301 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-382-5943; www.alittlewhitechapel.com.

• Paris Las Vegas, 702-946-7000; www.paris-lv.com.

• Special Memory Wedding Chapel, 800 S. Fourth St., 702-384-2211; www.as pecialmemory.com.

• Stratosphere, 2000 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-380-7777; www.stra tospherehotel.com.

• Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-894-7111; www.trea sureisland.com.

• Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-414-1000; www.venetian.com.

DINING

Suggestions from Taste of Vegas guide:

• Aureole, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-632-7401. Progressive American cuisine. $70 per person.

• Eiffel Tower Restaurant, above the Strip on the 11th floor of the Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower replica, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-948-6937. Updated French classics. $75-plus per person.

• Pamplemousse , 400 E. Sahara Ave. (Eastside), 702-733-2066. Personalized French cuisine. $45 per person.

• Rosemary's Restaurant, 8125 W. Sahara Ave. (Westside), 702-869-2251. Fine modern American cuisine. $50 per person.

LODGING

• Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-693-7111; www.bellagio.com. Chiluly sculpture in the lobby, expansive pool. Rates from $159.

• Mandalay Bay, 3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd., 877-632-7800; www.mandalaybay.com. Elegant decor. Only drawback: at the far end of the Strip. Rates from $119.

• Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 877-857-1861, 702-414-1000; www.vene tian.com. Luxurious guest suites, Canyon Ranch Spa. Rates from $169.

• Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South; 702-946-7000; www.paris-lv.com. Old World meets new. Rates from $109.

INFORMATION

• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 702-892-0711; www.lvcva.com.


VERBATIM FROM http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/living/travel/9251597.htm

More Lana's pictures

You asked for it, here we go!

Lucky Lady!


Hoover Dam


Frescos


If you want to see more pics, please remember you can find them on: http://www.kevinhayes.com/LasVegas.htm

Dogs playing poker

According to David Schwarzt's blog, it seems the poste of dogs playing poker is among the hot list of searched images related to gaming.

So, happy to show you "A friend in need" by C M Coolidge


Plus several variations on the theme:





More pictures, with dogs, people and cards, on http://www.casino-mn.com/modules.php?name=poker_art

Lana and Kevin in Vegas

Fresh pictures for your favourite Las Vegas blog! Here, we see Lana and Kevin while visiting our beloved city.


Do you recognize the familiar landscape?


With Luxor Blue Man.

For more pictures from Vegas and other cities visited by them, check: http://www.kevinhayes.com/LasVegas.htm


No, he is not Tom Hanks :-)

Charming sirens of TI

Evening: 7.00, 8.30, 10.00, and 11.30. Just pick one one of these times to be around Treasure Island and see the "Sirens of TI" show.



At the Sirens' cove (Treasure Island front entrance), sirens and pirates directed by Kenny Ortega will surprise and attract you with songs, dances, pyrotechnic games. After 10 years since the first show was staged, the sirens are as fresh as the first day, driving crazy 17th century pirates and 21th century visitors .

To see more pics taken from this production, download desktop wallpapers and watch the TI webcam, just browse: http://www.sirensti.com/

Special interview with Andrea Agassi

He won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He is one of the five men who achieved this sport record. But he is the only one who is a champion in charity and born/raised/living in our Las Vegas. Yes, we are talking about Andrea Agassi.

If you wanna know what he thinks about his hometown, why he became a tennis champion and much more, check this exclusive interview with Andrea Agassi.

Thanks Jennifer!

Helooooooooooooooooo Vegas,

I received a great email from blogger Jennifer Rice. She is a communication & marketing guru, and she was so kind to provide us helpful tips and feedback about LVConfidential.com

You'll see soon the result of her ideas. For now, you are invited to thank her visiting her blog http://brand.blogs.com

Thanks again, Jennifer!

Ladies & gents, the MONORAIL!

The Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas Monorail will be inaugareted tomorrow. It's the newest attraction on the famous Las Vegas skyline. Running at 50 miles per hour, it allows passengers to cover the four mile route of the Strip in approximately 14 minutes. Because time is money! :-)

LV Monorail directly connects several major resorts (MGM Grand; Bally’s/Paris; Flamingo/Caesars Palace; Harrah’s/Imperial Palace; Las Vegas Hilton; Sahara), and 9 convention facilities, including the world’s largest convention center. The idea, which has been around for quite a long time, became a plan after the success of the 1995 one mile-two station monorail system built by MGM Mirage and Bally’s; it carried approximately 5 million passengers annually.

Verbatim from:
http://www.lvmonorail.com

"For the first 60 days, the Las Vegas Monorail will operate daily from 8 a.m. to midnight. The cost to ride the system will be $3 each way, or less. Daily, multi-day and multi-ride passes will be available for purchase. After the first 60 days, the monorail will operate daily from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m."

Harrah's near deal to buy Caesars

Ehy ehy ehy! More news about the future of the gaming industry.

After MGM Mirage put its eyes on Mandalay Resort, Harrah's is aiming at Caesars' properties. It seems Harrah's found a way to deal with its competitor expansion plans, playing its same game.

Considering the size of the acquisition, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department and several states will discuss on the terms of this operation. These two big acquisition are going to reshape the gaming industry, not only in the main market - that's it baby, our Vegas! - but nationwide. Gaming regulations and laws are regulated on a State base, so they differ very much form State to State.

Harrah's, which as long be seen as one of the best player in the industry for its marketing approach and which made independent choices about themed casinos, seems to be playing its poker hand very smartly. If regulators and gaming authorities approve MGM acquisition, they will follow with their own financial operation to jump ahead competitors.

"NEW YORK - Harrah's Entertainment Inc. is near a deal to buy rival Caesars Entertainment Inc., in what would be the gambling industry's second major takeover in a month, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday."

More on:
http://msnbc.msn.com/

Canadian female magician to appear in Vegas

VANCOUVER (The Canadian Press, 2004) - A world-champion Vancouver magician is performing in Las Vegas over the next few weeks.

Juliana Chen is featured in the World's Greatest Magic Show at the Greek Isles Casino until the end of the month, when she departs for an engagement in Germany. Chen is a respected magician known as the first and only woman ever to have won a world championship with a solo act in the 50-year history of the World Congress of Magicians.

More Italy in Vegas

Updates about Palazzo, the $1.6 Billion new casino resort on the Strip (Sands Avenue), verbatim from http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=144165

The new megaresort adjacent to The Venetian, which the company already owns and operates, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2007 and will feature more than 3,000 hotel suites, a 105,000-square foot-casino and a 375,000-square-foot mall.

"(The Palazzo) represents a shift to a different area of the Strip where you have a number of redevelopment possibilities," said Joe Greff, gaming analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners, an independent Wall Street investment research firm, referring to the Stardust, the Riviera, the Sahara, New Frontier and Wet 'n Wild.

The Palazzo will also be directly across Sands Avenue from Wynn Las Vegas, which is scheduled to open April 28.

Greff said the Palazzo and the other projects at the north end of the Strip will all capitalize on the booming convention business that is driving the Las Vegas economy and developments in the gaming industry.

The proceeds of the credit package, which will include a revolving line of credit and term loan facilities, will be used to fund design, development, construction and pre-opening costs for The Venetian's Palazzo casino resort; to refinance Venetian's existing debt; and to pay related fees and expenses.

The Palazzo casino resort will be owned by a Venetian subsidiary for purposes of its debt instruments, which should close in August.

The Palazzo mall is expected to be owned and financed by a subsidiary of The Venetian, and General Growth Properties has agreed to purchase the mall when it opens.

In addition to the new credit package, the company plans to finance the $1.6 billion project with $135 million in equipment financing, a $250 million construction loan for the Palazzo mall, the net proceeds from the recently completed $766 million sale of the 5-year-old Grand Canal Shoppes and operating cash flow.

In connection with the financing, Las Vegas Sands plans to acquire all of the capital stock of Interface Group Holding from Sheldon Adelson, the principal stockholder of Las Vegas Sands.

Interface Group Holding indirectly owns the Sands Expo and Convention Center and holds all of the preferred interest in The Venetian.

Record for local tourism in May

Yesssssssss, we made it. Verbatim from http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=144166

"A surge in convention attendance powered another record for local tourism in May, when Las Vegas welcomed more than 3.2 million visitors for the third consecutive month.

The city's 3.26 million May guests represented a 6.9 percent gain from the same month of 2003, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said Monday. The performance was the city's best May ever and was the 11th consecutive period in which Las Vegas has enjoyed year-over-year monthly increases in visitor volume, said John Piet, senior research analyst for the convention authority.

Fueled by approximately 24,000 attendees at the National Hardware Show's first appearance in Southern Nevada, as well as solid gains by recurring shows such as the International Council of Shopping Centers and Networld+Interop's technology showcase, Las Vegas hosted 509,298 conventioneers during the month, up nearly 28 percent from May 2003.

Piet said two local beauty product trade shows also shifted to May from June 2003, transferring their business to the earlier month's tally. Regardless of which show they attended, visiting business travelers left behind more than $608.1 million in nongaming spending, up more than 32 percent from a year ago.

Through May, Las Vegas' 15.76 million visitors was 7.3 percent better than last year's five-month total and remained on pace to easily top the city's best 12-month total of 35.85 million visitors set in 2000.

A rush of May business travelers fueled an 11 percent jump in average daily rates for local hotel and motel rooms, which climbed to $94.88 from $85.47 a year ago. Through May, the local average was up 9.6 percent to $94.38.

In addition to paying more for rooms, visitors also found vacancies were scarce. Occupancy levels within Southern Nevada's nearly 129,800 rooms was 90.9 percent in May, up 5.2 percentage points from last year. Year-to-date, the citywide occupancy rate of 89.8 percent was up 4.5 percentage points from a year ago.

Laughlin's May visitor count fell by 8.9 percent to 333,508, a decrease Piet said is normal for small tourism markets. Year-to-date, the Colorado River resort's 1.8 million reported visitors was up just 0.4 percent compared with the first five months of 2003.

Mesquite's 150,901 May visitors was virtually unchanged from May 2003's reported 150,953 tally. That city's five-month visitor count was up 2.5 percent from a year ago at 739,148."

Sport news: Champ Car World Series adds event in Vegas

Vroooom! Great news for sport lovers: the Champ Car World Series has added a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to its current schedule. Be ready to see it on Sept. 25.

This is the first Champ Car race hosted by Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which was previously a seat of the rival Indy Racing League.

Kid-friendly Vegas

AS usual, Vegas is hot in the press! We got an email from a reader, suggesting us to feature an article published on the Seattle Times. Then, another email arrived with a url about an article about the coolest Vegas pools, always published on the Seattle Times website. Well done, Seattle Times! :-)

For information about having a great time in Vegas with your kids, check

http://www.kidsinvegas.com/las-vegas-kids.htm
AND http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2001974187_vegaskids11.html

To see where to swim, socialize and have a drink near the pool, check
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2001974189_vegaspools11.html

Hard Rock Hotel is mentioned as Favorite party pool, do U wanna know why?

fw

"Las Vegas connection" on Friendster

Good afternooooooooooooooon Las Vegas!

A friend of mine invited me to use Friendster, and I got almost addicted to it :-) That's a very powerful tool to get in touch again with people you met in the past and to make brand new connections.

If you are a member of Friendster, make a search for: Franz Winner. I am sending/receiving messages from other people living in Vegas or planning to come here for holidays. To add me to your list, just type:
Name: Franz
Surname: Winner

Let's make the LV Connection even bigger!

See ya,

fw

Forum, yes we have it!

Helloooooooooo Vegas!

As promised, we launched our community area. They are devoted to five topics:

- Casino games
Blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, video poker, poker, slots, ... Everything you wanted to know about casino games, but were afraid to ask. Post your questions and come back to see other players' advices.

- Las Vegas casinos
Where did you stay during your previous visit to Vegas? Where will you stay for the next holidays? Share your questions, tips, hints, compliments and issues.

- Las Vegas UNLV
Studying at University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Are you seeling your used books? Are you searching for tips, students sharing your same interests, ...? Post your messages here!

- Las Vegas classified
Friendship in Vegas. Used cars. Room up for grab. Hot events. Post your announcements and classified here.

- Cool sites
Hey, wanna shamelessy promote your own website? Would you like to make us aware of a brand new online service? This is the place to post. This is the right place for URLs promotion; promotional messages posted in other forum will be removed without any notice.

STAY TUNED FOR NEW COMMUNITY TOOLS!

fw

Movies about Vegas - Casino

I am quite sure 99% of people reading this blog watched Casino, with De Niro, Stone and Pesci. The first time I taped it from TV on my vcr, the tape "misteriously" stopped after ten minutes. The second time I found it on TV, the tape wasn't long enough and I missed 1/3 of the movie. So I decided it was time to play seriously... I watched the tape when I was hosted in San Diego and I saw the movie from minute 1 to the end.



It was worth the waiting, that's really a great movie and I watched it a couple of time more. But there still was something missing, what was fiction and what was biographical?

Frank Rosenthal is the man played by De Niro. I found out that in the 1970's, Frank Rosenthal hosted a top-rated television variety show direct from the world famous Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. He really had a great time on the Strip!

This is the real Mrs. Rosenthal. Who can blame him for loosing his mind for her?


On http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112641/ people are still talking about the movie. Recent posts, for example, will allow you to discover in which Vegas restaurant Frank lefty Rosenthal was eating before his car exploded.

You can find his official site on>http://www.frankrosenthal.com/. Have fun and... watch you back :-)

Free welcome kit - Maps, show info and much more

In some cities, you go the the Tourist center to discover what you can do. In Vegas, you get help to choose among the hundreds of available form of entertainment.

The Las Vegas Visitor Information Center is happy to welcome you every day, from 8:00am to 5:00pm. You may like to call them at (702) 892-7575 or 1-877-VISITLV to see if you can get the information you like on the phone. Their offices are located at 3150 Paradise Road.



If you will come here in a few weeks, you may like to receive the Visitor information pack at your house, so you can read it and plan some activities at your own pace. YOu can get the free welcome kit on http://www.vegasfreedom.com/.

Tell your story, share the fun!

Helooooooooooooooooooooooo Vegans!

We are refining the community areas where you can share your classifieds, questions and answers with other LVConfidential.com friends. They will be ready soon!

But we are going one step forward, the extra mile which makes the difference... We'll start publishing interviews with Las Vegans citizens and tourists. If you like to send us your story, we look forward to receive your messages at tips@lvconfidential.com. We read all the emails we receive, so please keep them 5-6 lines long. We'll write you back to get more info, if we need them.

So, what are you waiting for? You are in Vegas, you are already on the biggest world stage. Take your chance to be portrayed on Las Vegas blog and get 24/7 famous all around US and the world!

fw

The gold of the Silver State

Nevada is called the Silver State, but you can still find gold here... :-) Check out our Studying at UNLV blog for pics of UNLV Rebels cheerleaders.

Las Vegas according to the New York Times

Well, it's not a hot news (I saw these articles while I was on holidays in Hawaii) but it's still a very interesting eye on Vegas. The NY Times, which I consider the most useful and interesting newspaper (after the Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review), published for an entire week a serie of interview with people who moved to Vegas. See why they came, what they got, why they stayed. *Registration to the NY Times is free but required to read these articles*.

Quoted from the site: "Las Vegas is at the center of a population boom that has transformed the American desert over the last three decades. This series will examine what a few typical dreamers have found in this place of unmatched opportunity and extreme dysfunction".

Index of NY Times articles:
Crossing the Border Into the Middle Class In Las Vegas, unlike most U.S. cities, busboys, dishwashers and janitors can easily gain a foothold in the middle class.

The Pied Piper of Las Vegas Seems to Have Perfect Pitch In Las Vegas, the job of mythmaker falls to Billy Vassiliadis, adman, huckster, deal maker and fixer extraordinaire.

A Life as a Live! Nude! Girl! Has a Few Strings Attached HOT! :-)

Other articles and interesting interactive features on http://www.nytimes.com/pages/national/nationalspecial3/

Casino business: an offer you cannot refuse :-)

If you are in the gaming business and you are in Vegas in early October, don't miss CAC 2004. I look forward to meeting you there and have a chat with you! BTW, I am going to be a speaker there...(http://www.cac2004.com/speakers-lasvegas-2004.php)

CAC is an industry event that covers marketing and advertising of gaming business, and includes a focus on both internet and traditional marketing. The next event is at the Excalibur Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, on October 3-4 2004.

Las Vegas vs. cities with casinos

Several cities tried to imitate Las Vegas. I don't want to rewrite sociological and economical studies which were made on this topic, so I'll go straight to the point.

Las Vegas is the American city. It's the youngest example of the gold rush. Las Vegas stands from the middle of the desert, it's constatly reiventing itself (well, Las Vegan as Steve Wynn are reshaping it day by day), it's shining and it's profitable. Las Vegas is possible only here and nowhere else in the world, maybe even in US.

Think about Atlantic City. If you were there, you spot the difference in a second. Atlantic City was the first area to legalize commercial gambling outside Nevada. But Las Vegas is younger than its NJ counterpart: the Strip has been redesigned during the '90s and great projects are coming soon, while Atlantic City Boardwalk is almost '80s style.

Think about European casinos. Montecarlo, Nice: gorgeus casinos, but they are stucked in the "ancient regime". Las Vegas casinos compete to host you: comps, low cost - rich buffets, singing stars and shining clothes. French casinos often require you to dress-to-impress your fellow players, otherwise you are left in a box-sized room with slots and you cannot even see the real action.

Think about the scent of freedom you find all around Vegas. There's something for everyone. If you are a highroller and you like to astonish the vips with your tuxedo, you can go to exclusives card rooms; if you want to put your baseball cap on and throw hot dices, just go to a craps table. You can choose what to do, where to do, with whom to do. You can even bet on sport events while waiting to delight yourself from one buffet to the next!

If you have already visited a city with casinos, give a try to Vegas. You'll miss the Strip when you are back home but - ehy - you had the time of your life and you may even get famous sharing your pics with other LVConfidential.com readers! :-)

About your guide in Vegas

Heloooooo Vegas!

Today, I am proud to talk about the second hottest topic in my life (the first being Vegas, of course): myself!

I decided to start this blog (a.k.a.: live journal. A.k.a.: the latest, brand new Internet version of egocentric vanity :-) to share my living experience in Las Vegas - Sin City.

I talk about gaming/gambling in Las Vegas because that's a topic I studied quite for a long time, both from a practical and mathematical point of view.

I talk about entertainment in Vegas, because what happens here stays here so... give it a try!

I talk about starting and running a business in Vegas, because I am a businessman - well, the most voted, #1 businessman selected by an undisclosed jury :-)

I talk about studying at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, because here we have the best University for people seriously interested in gaming and hospitality studies. There are other reasons to study here, find them out keeping an eye on the UNLV (unofficial) blog.

Everyone talk about Vegas, we see it on TV almost 24/7. And we can't simply get enough of Vegas, so stay tuned and see what's hot here! I consider your (and mine) time very valuable, so I talk about what's hot, and not what's not. I love your feedback, the same for the friends and freelancers collaborating with me. You, them, me and this wonderful miracle in the desert, we are the real LVConfidential.com!